Armed with a few simple camping recipes, you should be ready to come home from your next foray into the woods with a new nickname: Your friends may start calling you 'cookie.' Though many people don't think beyond the hamburger or hot dog when preparing a menu of camping recipes, it is possible to bring a flair of gourmet to campfire cooking. With some basic preparations, the right supplies and a little practice, you and your friends will be crawling into your tents with full bellies and satisfied palettes. Just because you're roughing it doesn't mean that your taste buds need to. Here are a few simple but out of the ordinary camping recipes to get your imagination in gear.

Pizza on the Grill

Do you think you could cook pizza on the grill? You can, and it's easier than you might think. This recipe works just as well on a charcoal grill as it does on an industrial gas grill, so this is a great camping recipe. It may sound difficult, but if you take the proper steps to prepare your cooking surface, these tasty, personal-sized pizzas can be a lot of fun. Make sure you bring plenty of toppings so that everyone can load up their pizza with the things that they like best.

You'll need a flat surface to cook on. If you have an open campfire instead of a grill, then just use the grate out of your grill from home. Build up your campfire until you have a nice bed of coals, and then knock the fire down below the lip of the ring and lay the grill across it.

Be sure to cover the grate with foil so that the flames don't lick the bottom of your pizza crust. It will burn quickly otherwise.

The secret with campfire pizza is that you don't actually cook the dough on the grill. Instead, use pre-baked flatbreads or crusts that you buy in the store. If you plan your menu in advance, then you can figure out how many crusts you will need and pack accordingly. Since you don't have to worry about the crust, you can focus your attention on creating single-serving pizzas that your kids and guests can top with whatever they like. Once they've embellished their pizza with a variety of toppings, cover the pizza with cheese, and then place it on the grill. Close your grill cover or use foil as a cover, and cook for about five minutes. Make sure you use low heat. When you open the grill cover or lift off your foil, you will be greeted by a molten pile of bubbling cheese and a perfect pizza, right down to the golden brown crust.

Fresh Biscuits on the Grill

An equally impressive feat is to cook fresh biscuits on the grill. This is one of the easiest camping recipes to master, and it's one that will make you look like a culinary genius. Like the pizzas, this may sound absurd at first, but if you take a quick look at the basic baking principles involved in making biscuits, it will all start to make sense.

For your first adventure in outdoor biscuit cooking, use a pre-made biscuit. These kind come in pressure-sealed cans in the grocery store. Just pop open a can and lay your biscuits out on tinfoil.

Arrange the biscuits so that they are not directly over the hottest part of the grill. If you are using charcoal, then make sure the biscuits are near the edge of the grill. If you are using a gas grill, then turn off the burners on the side opposite where the biscuits are. This will allow the biscuits to bake instead of fry in their own moisture. Cover the biscuits loosely with another piece of tinfoil and close the lid. This will cause heat to build up inside the grill, but there will be no flame directly underneath the biscuits to burn the bottom. Let them cook for the amount of time recommended on the package. Your guests will be amazed when you open the lid and pull out perfectly done biscuits that are fresh and hot. Even the doubters will be standing in line for seconds.

Suggestions for Great Grilled Meats

No list of camping recipes would be complete without some suggestions for great grilled meat. Don't be content with frozen hamburgers and cheap hotdogs. There are several ways to spice up the flavor of whatever you throw on the grill, and the key to success is found in doing a little preparatory work at home.

Learn to make your own spice rubs and seasoning salts so that you can honestly lay claim to a brand new, never-before-used, top-secret recipe.

Custom-made meat rubs and salts can be used on just about any variety of meat. Here are some basic ingredients that you can include in your rub. Of course, feel free to add other spices to create the nuances that fit your unique tastes and grilling style.

Salt: This should be the base of any rub or spice mix that you make from scratch. It is inexpensive and helps to enhance the flavors of the other spices that you will add.

Ground Pepper: Most cooks are much happier with the flavor of freshly ground pepper than the pepper that comes already crushed in shakers. Use black pepper to make up any rub or spice mix.

Garlic Powder: This is the first ingredient that will really begin to offer its own unique flavor. Start with just a dash of garlic powder for your camping recipes, since it can quickly overpower the flavor of the meat. You can always add more if you're not happy with the result.

Onion Powder: This is another staple that should be included in almost any rub that you make. Don't worry if you don't like eating onions, as the onion powder just offers a tangy little twist to the rub without overpowering it.

Once you have this basic mixture put together, you can begin to customize your rub to your own tastes. You can even make different batches and label them. You might give one a hot and spicy flavor for that macho man who thinks he can eat anything.

Another popular one would be a little bit sweeter and milder, by adding a little sugar so that it will caramelize over the meat while the meat grills. Cayenne pepper, cumin, chili powder, and crushed red pepper are just a few of the additional ingredients that you can add to your rubs to give them these specialized flavors.

Cayenne Pepper: This is the spice that provides the kick. Don't add too much to start with, and make sure you wash your hands when you are done.

Cumin: This is the base flavor of most South Western or Tex-Mex type rubs and sauces.

Chili Powder: While it's not technically a spice, chili powder tastes great and is a easy way to give a dull mixture some personality.

Crushed Red Pepper: This spice could have been included with the basic ingredients, but not every one likes to use it. It gives a nice, full-bodied flavor to your rub.

4. Side Dishes on the GrillThe grilled entrees are great mouth-watering recipes for camping, but now it's time to create camping recipes using fresh vegetables that complement the meats. Use fresh summer veggies like squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and sweet onions. Cherry tomatoes are also a fun side dish ingredient. Wash all the vegetables and cut into 1-inch thick slices. Place the sliced vegetables in a plastic container or zip-lock bag along with your desired amount of Italian dressing. Let the vegetables marinate in the dressing while you prepare the fire. Cover the campfire with an aluminum foil-wrapped grill. Set the grill over the fire placing the meat on top. When the meat is about half way done, place the vegetables in a single layer around the meat. Brush on more Italian dressing as the vegetables cook. It takes about 5 to10 minutes for the vegetables to cook through.

A simple and easy camping recipe requires only sliced potatoes, sliced sweet onions and butter. First, slice potatoes onto a 12-inch square of aluminum foil. Next slice the onions over the potatoes and add four or five pats of butter. You can use salt and pepper to taste. Wrap the mound of vegetables and butter in the aluminum foil and place on the hot grill or into the coals for 45 to 60 minutes. Use tongs to open the potato packages to check for doneness. This is one of the best camping recipes you'll come across for side dishes.

Grilled corn on the cob is one of the long-time favorite recipes for camping. Peel back the husks and remove the silk. Soak the ears in water for about 15 minutes. Give the ears a shake to remove excess water.

At this point you can brush the kernels with butter sprinkled with a bit of chopped fresh mint or brush with olive oil. Place the ears on a grill over medium hot coals. Turn the ears often to keep them from burning. Once the husks have turned a light brown color move the ears to the outer most area of the grill where the corn will continue to cook for the next 15 minutes. The ears of corn are done when the kernels are tender and squirt a bit of milk when pushed. Lather on the butter and enjoy.

5. One Last Special Treat

Camp cooking recipes should be easy to prepare and take only a small amount of time to cook. Grab a skillet and place five slices of bacon in the bottom. Set the skillet on the grill, frying the bacon. Once the bacon is lightly crisped, remove it and drain on paper towels. Add half of a diced onion and half of a diced green pepper to the grease in the skillet; saut'ing lightly. Toss 1 to 1 ' pounds of fresh green beans into the skillet. Chop a big ripe tomato and add it to the frying vegetable mixture. Let the vegetables simmer in the skillet until the green beans are done to your liking. Before serving, crumble the bacon pieces over the top for a favorite among camp cooking recipes.

With this handful of camping recipes in your arsenal, see what you can come up with to compliment them. Make your next camping trip more than just a trip into the woods. Make it a chance to get away and try some great new recipes. Cooking an excellent meal while camping will fill both your stomach and your ego, so have fun!

What's Your Ingredient List IQ?

The label on your frozen TV dinner tells you that your meal contains 400 calories and 10 grams of fat, plain and simple. But what else is hiding in the package? They're listed on the mile-long ingredients label, and chances are you don't know what even half of them are, much less how to pronounce them. Test your knowledge of sneaky additives, from yellow #6 to rBGH, with this ingredient list quiz.